Heinkich habdt



H. HARDT STE'IHOSCOPE March 1, 1932.

Filed May 1, 1931 Patented Mar. 1, 1932 HEINRICH HARDT, F JENA-LICHTENHAIN,-GEBMANY s'rmnosoorn Application filed May 1, 1931, Serial No.

My invention refers to the instrument known under the name of stethoscope and used by the physician in the auscultation of the heart, the lungs and other parts of the human or animal body for diagnostic purposes. This instrument as generally used consists of a short tube of wood or ebonite having a fiat cup like ear piece at one end and a sound collector, sometimes of funnel is Shape, at the other end. The earpiece is pressed onto the ear, the sound collector applied to theditferent parts of the body of the'patient and the auscultation phenomena are transmitted to the ear of the physician through the tube. H r

In a modified form the rigid tube is replaced by a flexible rubber tube connecting with the sound collector an ear piece to be inserted in the ear.

In a further modified form of the instrument two flexible tubes provided with ear pieces are connected to the sound collector, the physician being thus enabled to insert an ear piece in each ear and to ascertain the phenomena simultaneously with both ears.

It is an object of my invention to improve this latter kind of instrument with a view to enabling the physician to also auscultate iimultaneously two separate points of the To this end I provide two rubber or other flexible tubes each being attached at one end to a sound collector and I so combine the tubes, that the sound phenomena. collected separately .by each of the two collectors can be simultaneously heard with both ears.

According to my invention I employ two sound collectors, each of which forms one half of the usual collecting funnel, havin a semicircular or approximately semicircu ar cross section, so that the two collectors can be applied against each other by their fiatsides, the area covered by their combined openings being substantially the same as that covered by the ordinary funnel-shaped collector. It thus applied against each other, the collectors can be used for auscultating one point of-the body, while if used separately, two distinct points of the body can be 'auscultated simul-v taneously.

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534,300, and in Germany May 8, i980.

Obviously the differences of strength and intervals of the two arisin phenomena will thus be rendered perceivaIde in an almost plastic manner as to sound as well as to time. By barring the passage of sound through one of the tubes by pinching or kinking it a differ'ential diagnosis can easily be obtained.

In the drawings affixed to this specification and forming part thereof several embodiments of my invention are illustrated dia- 50 grammatically. by way of-example.

. In the drawings H Y.

. Fig. 1 illustratesone embodiment comprising twoseparate rubber tubes held together by a connecting piece,

' Fig.2 beinga perspective view drawn to alarger scale,:of the-two sound collectors,

Fig. 3 being a plan view of these collectors, Fig. 4 a similar view of the connecting piece. I l

Fig. 5. illustrates aldifierent form of ear piece to be used in connection with the device as shown in Fig. 1. c

Fig. 6 illustrates another modification, in which the ear pieces are replaced by cups '7 connected. in thecform of a head receiver which also replaces the connecting piecein Fig. 1, 7

. *igs. 7 and 9 are elevations and Fig. 8 is a plan View, partly in cross secso ti'on, showing elasticclamps for holding the two collectors together. 1 7

Referring first to Figs. 1-4, a are the two rubber tubes, 6 are ear pieces to be insertedin the ears of the op-erator,each mounted at one end of atube, and c, d are two sound collectors mounted at their other ends.- These collectors, as more particularly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, areformed with semicircular orapproximately semicircular cross sections, so that they can beapplied against each other with their flat sides, forming a'funnel subdivided by a partition and having two sepa rate openings (Fig. 3). e is a shiftablebr-idge connecting the two tubes. j

. In Fig. 5 f is a forked "ear piece which may replace the separate-ear pieces I), I), both tubes being connectedto its branches, if it is desired to auscultate with one ear either one or two separate points of the body.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6 the tubes a are connected to cup-shaped parts 9 connected by a resilient strap m, the parts 9 being replaced by microphones if desired.

As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 a clip it may be passed around the neck of the two sound collectors, which may, however, be readily disengaged from each other if it is desired to simultaneously auscultate two different points.

The clip b may be replaced by an elastic ring, for instance a rubber ring is, as shown in Fig. 9, which also allows easily separating the two collectors.

These latter as well as the ear pieces I), b and f and the cups 9 may be made of wood, ebonite, hardened plastic masses, light metal OISOIHG other suitable resonant material.

I wish it to be understood that I do not de- 20 sire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

In the claims affixed to this specification no 25 selection of any particular modification of the invention is intended to the exclusion of other modifications thereof and the right to subsequently makeclaim to any modification not covered by these claims is expressly reserved.

I claim 1. In a stethoscope in combination an ear piece, two sound collectors and a flexible tubular connection between said collectors 35 and said ear piece, said sound collectors having substantiallysemicircular cross section.

2. In a stethoscope in combination two flexible tubes, a substantially semicircular sound'collector at one end of each tube and 40 an ear pieceat the other end.

3. In a stethoscope in combination two flexible tubes, '21. substantially semicircular sound collector at one end of each tube and a separate ear piece at the other end of each tube.

4. In a stethoscope in combination two flexible tubes, a substantially semicircular sound "collector at one end of each tube, a sound receiver at the other end of each tube 5:: and means for movably connecting both halves of the instrument.

5. In a stethoscope in combination two flexible tubes, a substantially semicircular sound collector at the end of each tube, a

5:5 sound receiver at the other end of each tube and a head band connecting said receivers.

6. In a. stethoscope in combination two flexible tubes, a substantially semicircular sound'collector at one end,'an ear piece at the 00 other end of each tube, and resilient means encircling said sound collectors to hold them' applied against each other.

In testimony'whereof I-aflix my signature.

HEINRICH HARDT. 

